Sore must be the Storm
by mycookiegirl
Summary: Ponyboy never used his head when he stepped out into the road, and now that he's better: Sodapop and Darry are paying the price for it, and they are not happy with their little brother one bit. What happens when the anger goes too far?


**Sore must be the Storm**

 **I do not own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton does :)  
I'm dedicating this story to FrankElza and Pony-Edward-Lucas'girl (who I first knew as Pony'sgirlfriend ;)) because ever since I started writing fanfiction they have supported me with all my stories and I am so grateful for all of that :D - And thank you to everybody else who has taken the time to read my stories and leave comments – all of you make me so happy :)**

Darry and Sodapop Curtis had never been so annoyed with their youngest brother in their lives. The oldest Curtis was usually pretty annoyed with Ponyboy for something though it was never anything too bad, and Sodapop rarely ever got annoyed with his baby brother; but this time it was different.

Ponyboy had forgotten to use his head, as usual, when the incident happened. The thirteen-year-old had just been to the store to buy some cancer sticks, and when crossing the road to get back to his house, the boy had completely forgotten to look both ways when he crossed. He didn't make it to the middle of the road before he was knocked down by a speeding mustang.

Luckily Ponyboy wasn't in a coma, however he had to stay in the hospital for a week since his ankle had been twisted the wrong way. It wasn't anything too bad, but when Darry was given the bill, his eyeballs nearly popped out of his skull.

That wasn't what made the two oldest Curtis's angry at the youngest; these things just happened sometimes, and unfortunately this time it had happened to them. However, the thing that was making the two brothers annoyed was the amount of overtime they had to work in order to pay off what they owed.

Sodapop didn't mind work too much, however now it was beginning to make his head hurt. And Darry's back was starting to give in because of how many bundles of roofing he was carrying a day. While through all of their pain, Ponyboy was sitting back doing nothing, when he was the one that had caused the whole dilemma! At least that's what Darry and Sodapop were thinking.

"I really can't stand him sometimes," Sodapop muttered to Steve as they were walking back to Steve's place. "Like, he ain't even grateful what we've been doin' for him. I've been tryin' to be nice to him, but I think I'm gonna snap soon."

That was a lie actually. Sodapop had snapped at his baby brother many times, though he didn't realize that he was doing it because Ponyboy just smiled at him and shrugged when his older brother did it.

Ponyboy actually did know that his brothers had been working a lot of overtime for something that he caused, so he was trying his best to be extra-nice to the two of them. The only times he did argue with them was when they tried to leave him out of things. Ponyboy had been especially upset when he found Darry and Sodapop tossing each other the football in the lot without him, but when he protested Darry had called him a brat (in slightly lighter words) and Sodapop just glared at him. He honestly didn't feel too hot about that.

But he'd suck it up. After all, they were going through a lot right now, and Ponyboy didn't want to stress his big brothers out too much. Not after all they had done for him.

Today had been a good day for the youngest Curtis. He had achieved an A on his math exam (which he was sure that he had failed), and had received some pretty decent comments from his gym teacher. Though Ponyboy didn't want to brag too much, he felt the need to tell Darry and Sodapop _everything_ that his teacher had said to him; the boy felt proud, and he hoped his brothers would be proud of him too.

It was quite surprising to find that Darry and Sodapop were home before he was. The boy asked why, however was ignored by both of his brothers, so he just shrugged and went to his room.

Darry was quite pleased with the day's events; his boss had sent him home because he had been working so hard the last week or so, and his boss thought it was only fair that he got a break. Sodapop, on the other hand, had only been sent home because the owner of the DX had to go home, and since there weren't many customers that day, he decided to send Sodapop home…with no extra cash. Since he hadn't worked overtime, there was sadly no extra cash involved.

"I'ma go put ma head down for a little bit," Sodapop muttered to his older brother, standing up and going to his and Ponyboy's shared bedroom. Ponyboy was sitting at the desk, quietly doing his homework. He wouldn't have disturbed Sodapop at all.

"Get out," Sodapop ordered firmly. Ponyboy turned around in the chair, raising his eyebrows at his older brother as if to ask why he had to leave. "Didn't you hear me right? Get out."

"But it's quiet in here. I won't bug ya if ya'll come in here, I promise," the young boy promised his older brother. But Sodapop wasn't having it.

"If you don't pick your stuff up and take it out there," he pointed towards their bedroom door, "I'll throw it out – you with it."

Ponyboy just sighed and shook his head, hiding the hurt he was feeling at that present moment. Picking up his stuff, he gave one last look to Soda before closing the door quietly. It wasn't Soda's fault that he was annoyed; he was under a lot of the stress after all, and Ponyboy didn't need to add to that. If his big brother wanted him to leave then he would.

Meanwhile, Darry was in the kitchen making dinner. His back hurt something awful and he had an awful headache, but that was just how life was for them. Though Ponyboy had certainly made it even more difficult for them; after all, his back wouldn't be hurting so much if Ponyboy's hospital bill wasn't so expensive. And even though later Darry would hate himself for thinking this, Ponyboy had also wiped the happy-go-lucky smile clean off Sodapop's face – that's how Darry saw it anyway.

The youngest Curtis walked into the kitchen smiling at his oldest brother. "Hey Dar, what ya cookin'?" he asked, peering into the oven. Darry pulled his brother away from the oven a little too harshly.

"You'll see when it's time for dinner," the man affirmed. "Have you finished your homework?"

"Well Soda kinda shoved me out the room while I was doin' it, but I'll finish it now," Ponyboy smiled. Darry didn't smile back at him.

"Yeah, well you've been home almost an hour now. Have you been slackin'?" the man demanded. Ponyboy shook his head.

"No, no, it's almost done. Don't worry," Ponyboy reassured his brother.

"I hope you ain't rushed it either. I expect all of it to be correct when I check it," Darry stated firmly.

"Don't worry, it will be," Ponyboy grinned. He didn't think he was trying too hard at all to impress his big brother; Darry deserved some respect after all.

The young greaser was hoping that his big brother would ruffle his hair (which he actually hadn't greased today) or smile at him or at least show him _some_ form of affection. But he didn't. Oh well; Darry was probably just tired. He had been working longer days after all, and even if he had got off work early today, the whole week will have stressed him out a lot, Ponyboy thought to himself.

"Can I have somethin' to eat?" he asked his older brother. Darry looked at him funny.

"Dinner's almost ready; you can wait 'til then," he told his younger brother. But Ponyboy was feeling quite peckish, and what harm would an apple or a slice of bread do?

"Can I please just have a piece a' fruit or somethin'? I really am hungry, Dar," Ponyboy asked as politely as he could. Darry glared at his youngest brother.

"What did I just say, Ponyboy? Can you hear me?" Darry's voice was getting louder. "And can you quit harassing me? I'm busy right now."

"But…" Ponyboy's voice trailed off when Darry stood up straight and looked as if he was about to yell.

"Go away, Ponyboy. You're just doin' this to annoy me; I know you are! I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much in my damn life. And what's with all this food nonsense? I have a good mind to send you to bed without any dinner!" Darry bellowed. Ponyboy stepped back and swallowed. But after all, his big brother had been working for the last week…he was bound to snap at the one who had caused their situation after all.

"Sorry, Darry," Ponyboy apologized quietly. He looked up at his brother and offered a kind smile, but Darry just glared at him and turned away. The youngest Curtis but his lip and walked back to his room; Darry didn't need to know he was upset – that would just cause more problems.

Sodapop was lying on his and Ponyboy's bed, staring into space. He was trying to sleep, but the headache he had was really affecting him. The teenager wanted to get some aspirin, however Ponyboy was in the kitchen, and he didn't feel like talking to him.

So when Ponyboy entered the bedroom, Sodapop got up to leave. "Soda, wait," Ponyboy pleaded softly. Sodapop turned around stiffly, cocking an eyebrow at his little brother. "When I'm done with ma homework, do ya wanna watch TV with me? They're havin' a cartoon marathon," Ponyboy smiled.

Sodapop merely grunted. "I don't have time to watch stupid shows with you," he told Ponyboy firmly. Ponyboy felt pained watching his brother leave.

"Why, whatcha got planned?" the boy asked innocently.

"Do I have to justify to _you_?" Sodapop hissed, turning around to face his brother again. "I just told you I don't have time to watch shows with you – end of discussion."

"I just wanna know why," Ponyboy reasoned softly, giving his brother a half-smile. Sodapop was getting angry now.

"Okay fine: I just don't want to watch TV with you. I don't want to even be in the same room as you. Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" Sodapop's voice was getting very loud. "I'm tired and Darry's tired. You've done nothin' to make it any easier for us."

"But it's not my fault that the bill was so expensive." Ponyboy had dared to speak up for himself. "I'm sorry that you and Darry both have to work overtime for the next few days, and I really appreciate that you've been workin' so hard for this past week too. If I could just go back to when I stepped out into that road, I would, but I can't. And if you can't accept that, then the only person you're bringin' down in yourself."

Sodapop crossed his arms and glared at his little brother dangerously. "Be quiet, Ponyboy. 'Cause if you say somethin' that upsets me again, you'll regret it."

But Ponyboy wasn't finished. "At least there's still the three of us, Soda. Remember when you and Darry were wrestling and you hit your arm on the coffee table and had to go to hospital 'cause it was broken? Remember how much overtime mom and dad had to work? But they didn't blame you Soda; that's just how life works."

Ponyboy's words were beginning to affect Sodapop. "But I don't see you getting' angry at other people. What about the time Two-Bit put hair grease in your clothes and ruined your favorite shirt, or when Steve asked out that girl you told him you were gonna ask out? You were angry at the time, but you forgave them, didn't you? While you're goin' on at me about a hospital bill. I think you're a _coward_ , Sodapop," the boy claimed.

Just as Ponyboy was about to leave the bedroom, Sodapop yanked him back by his arm. Ponyboy winced in pain.

"Sodapop…" Ponyboy noticed how angry Sodapop's expression was. "W-what are you doin'?" he asked fearfully.

"What did I say would happen if you upset me again?" he growled.

Ponyboy felt his gut sink as Sodapop pulled his arm harshly.

 **XXX**

Darry placed his newspaper down on the coffee table, getting up to get the dinner out of the oven. Though he wasn't feeling very hungry, he had a feeling none of it would go to waste because of how eager Ponyboy had been to eat before.

Sodapop was sitting on the sofa watching TV, biting his nails viciously. He'd just been speaking to Steve about how annoying Ponyboy was, and was glad that Steve agreed with him on almost every statement he made, even though they weren't true. But Steve's old man had interrupted their chat because he needed to use the phone, so now Soda was in an even bitterer mood than before.

"Dinner's ready, guys," Darry called, walking into the living room. The man smiled at Sodapop who was glaring daggers at the television. The boy had previously had a headache, but Darry had told him to take some medicine and he was sure that it would help. "Still got a headache, little buddy?"

"No; just annoyed," Sodapop answered, though he looked up at his big brother and smiled. It was Ponyboy he was angry with, not Darry.

Darry chuckled slightly. "Well, dinner's on the table." Sodapop scoffed. "Look, I know that Ponyboy's annoyed ya…he's annoyed me too; but I guess he's right: it ain't his fault the bill's so expensive. And if I have to work to ma death to make sure ya'll don't get put in a boys' home – so be it."

Sodapop just muttered something inaudible in response. It just wasn't fair that Darry had to work so hard to provide for them both. And it wasn't fair that the state was on their backs all the time. And it especially wasn't fair that their parents died. But Ponyboy wasn't making it any easier, Sodapop kept telling himself.

"Ponyboy, dinner," Darry hollered. There was no response. The oldest Curtis sighed, annoyed. "Which room's he in?"

"Mine and his," Sodapop replied bitterly. Darry nodded and sighed again, walking to Ponyboy's and Sodapop's shared bedroom.

"Listen, when I tell you it's time for dinner…" Darry's voice trailed off after he opened the door.

Ponyboy was lying on his and Soda's bed with his face stuffed in his pillow, and he was bawling his eyes out. Darry felt his heart break when he saw the state of his baby brother. "Pony, what happened?"

The young greaser didn't answer his big brother; he just continued to cry. He was sure that Sodapop hated him now; he'd never been so rough with him before.

Darry realized that he wouldn't get an answer from the youngest, so he slowly walked to the bed and sat down next to his brother. The oldest Curtis rarely comforted his baby brother, and was afraid that if he attempted to, Ponyboy would push him away.

But with the state that Ponyboy was in, Darry knew he had to try.

"Ponyboy," the man started softly. If Ponyboy wasn't so upset, the boy would have sworn that was the softest tone Darry had ever used with him. "Baby, what happened?"

Ponyboy just sobbed louder. If he told Darry what had happened between him and Soda, Darry would just get angry with him; Sodapop had a right to be annoyed with him after all.

"I ain't gonna get mad at you, Pony, I promise," Darry said, as if he was reading Ponyboy's thoughts. "What happened between you an' Soda, honey? You weren't this upset before."

Suddenly, Darry seemed to catch on. He saw the red mark on Ponyboy's wrist where Sodapop must have grabbed him, and the way Ponyboy was shivering told Darry that Ponyboy was scared. Scared of his big brothers. Darry bit his lip.

"Oh dear…" Darry muttered softly. Sodapop had really gone and done it now. Shouting at Ponyboy for no reason was one thing, but hitting him was an entirely different matter. Not even their parents did such a thing; they didn't believe in it. But it was still different too; Sodapop had just hit Ponyboy out of anger, which was even worse.

In the living room, Sodapop was on the phone to Steve and Two-Bit. Steve had gone over to Two-Bit's, but they were both bored and couldn't be bothered walking all the way from Two-Bit's to the Curtis's, so Two-Bit had called the Curtis household and the two teenagers were holding onto the phone to talk to Sodapop.

"Can one a' you guys swap with Ponyboy? It'd be much better having one a' you over here than _him_ ," Sodapop claimed in an agitated tone.

In Ponyboy and Sodapop's room, both Darry and Ponyboy could hear what Sodapop was saying down the phone to Steve and Two-Bit. Ponyboy just sobbed more, and Darry shook his head sadly.

"Hey, baby, he don't mean nothin', I promise you," Darry whispered. Any anger he felt towards Ponyboy before was gone; now he just wanted his baby brother to smile again.

Nothing was working though; Ponyboy wouldn't answer Darry and he still had his face buried in his pillow, and Darry knew he had to do something about it. So slowly and gently, Darry placed his hands under Ponyboy's arms and lifted his younger brother into his own arms.

Ponyboy was quite scared at first. He was worried that Darry was still angry with him and was trying to trick him into believing everything was alright, when really he just wanted to hurt Pony the same way Soda had done. This thought scared Ponyboy, so the young boy tried his best to push away from his oldest brother.

But Darry wasn't letting go for anything.

"Ssh, baby, I promise I ain't angry at you," he soothed, rocking the youngest in his arms slightly. Ponyboy tried leaning back into the bed, desperately wanting to get up and run. However, Darry kept pulling him back, making it impossible for him to go anywhere.

The comfort Darry was giving was so comforting, and Ponyboy had been craving for this comfort from his older brother for a long time. And now that he was being given the comfort, he couldn't handle it. So he started crying again.

"Please don't cry, little buddy," Darry pleaded sadly. "I don't like it when you cry, especially when it's me or Soda that's made you cry."

Darry had never felt so guilty before. He and Soda had been making a big deal out of having to work overtime, blaming the whole situation on Ponyboy. But throughout all of it, Ponyboy had tried his best to keep the peace and smiled at his big brothers when they snapped at him and offered to do more chores to keep them satisfied. And now that smile was gone…Darry had only just realized how wrong they'd been.

The man gently rubbed Ponyboy's back and kissed the boy's hair, and even though Ponyboy was still crying, he was beginning to calm down slightly. But even Darry's gentle touch and soothing words couldn't stop the hurt in the young boy's heart; Sodapop still hated him – the way he was carrying on about him on the phone to Two-Bit and Steve proved that point, to Ponyboy anyway.

"You want somethin' to eat, honey?" Darry asked his little brother softly. Ponyboy shook his head, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes fiercely. He wasn't hungry now. Not at all.

Darry bit his lip. Ponyboy wasn't talking and he didn't want to eat, and that thought almost instantly reminded him of his and his and his little brother's conversation in the kitchen previously.  
 _"I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much in my damn life. And what's with all this food nonsense? I have a good mind to send you to bed without any dinner!"_

Why did he have to say that? He'd been the one complaining about Ponyboy trying to talk to him and how Ponyboy was being so arrogant by wanting something to eat, yet now he wanted nothing more than for Ponyboy to talk to him and he really wanted his little brother to eat something. Darry put his face in his baby brother's hair.

"I'm so sorry, baby." Was all's he said. There was nothing else to say really; he'd screwed up big time. He and Soda both had.

Sodapop was laughing down the phone at a stupid joke Two-Bit had made when Darry called him. "Soda, can you come in here please?" his voice was soft, so Sodapop had a feeling he wasn't in trouble about anything.

"I'll talk to ya later, guys," the boy said, hanging up the phone. He then got up and went to his brother.

But when he saw Ponyboy, he scowled. Since Ponyboy had his face hidden in Darry's shirt, Sodapop didn't notice how sad his little brother was. All's Sodapop thought was that Ponyboy had won Darry over by hugging him and telling him what Sodapop had done.

"Hey, little buddy, come sit down," Darry ordered his brother gently, patting the spot next to him and Ponyboy.

Sodapop rolled his eyes but did as he was told. "I bet he's come out with a load a lies; makin' me out to be the bad guy and everythin' like that, huh?" Sodapop's voice was very harsh, making Ponyboy bury his face even deeper in Darry's chest, as if to hide away from his older brother.

"Actually, he ain't said nothin'," Darry told his younger brother. "I just walked in here to tell him to come for dinner, and he was on the bed cryin'. All this time I've been in 'ere, he hasn't said a word."

The middle brother bit his lip then, but quickly sat up and glared at his youngest brother. "Yeah, well he's probably doin' it to make us feel bad, but I don't; he deserved it!"

Ponyboy sighed into Darry's shirt, and both of his older brothers could hear how sad he sounded. The boy clung tighter to Darry, not wanting his oldest brother to let go of him. Because if he did, Soda could hurt him again. He was whimpering, and as much as he tried to hide it, Darry and Sodapop both heard it.

"He don't wanna eat now," Darry said softly. Sodapop shifted his gaze from the youngest to the oldest. "He heard you talkin' 'bout 'im on the phone. Now Soda, that wasn't a nice thing to do. But I'm not blamin' you for all this; half of it's ma fault too. But now our baby brother thinks we don't like 'im – in fact, he thinks we hate 'im."

Ponyboy's breath hitched then; his brothers would be angry with him for sure. But Darry situated his thumb on the back of Ponyboy's neck and rubbed it gently, proving his little brother otherwise. "Now Pony, I think Soda wants to say somethin' to you," Darry offered softly.

The young greaser felt Darry shift slightly, and then felt different hands gently grab his waist. Ponyboy panicked; he knew it was Soda, but he was worried that his brother was going to take his temper out on him again. So he wrapped his arms around Darry and clung onto his eldest brother's shirt.

"C'mon, little man," Darry whispered. "There ain't nothin' to be afraid of. Your big brothers are here, and they both love you very much. They're not angry with their baby brother; they just want to hold him and talk to him and tell him how much they love him."

Man, Darry really knew how to make Ponyboy feel like a three-year-old. But the boy didn't mind, not now anyway. So he slowly let go of his oldest brother, and let Sodapop take him.

"Hey there, little brother," Sodapop said softly. Ponyboy wasn't looking at his older brother; he was facing downwards, away from his Soda's gaze. "Please look at me, baby." Sodapop's voice sounded wounded and desperate, and Ponyboy wondered how Sodapop had suddenly went from angry to extremely calm and caring.

The youngest brother slowly looked up at his brother. Sodapop's brown eyes were filled with concern and sorrow, and Ponyboy hated it. He turned his head away from Sodapop and leaned his head against his brother's chest, but Sodapop gently moved his little brother away from his chest and put his finger under his brother's chin, tipping the boy's head up to look at him once again.

"I'm so sorry 'bout how I've been treatin' you, baby," Sodapop murmured, tilting his head and staring right at his baby brother. Ponyboy felt uncomfortable but as much as he wanted to turn away, he couldn't; Sodapop had hold of him now.

It wasn't the fact that Ponyboy wasn't happy that Sodapop was apologizing to him, as was Darry. He just felt so small and intimidated with the way both of his big brothers were staring at him, and he really just wanted to hide his face and not have to look at them. The boy attempted to lean forward to cover his face, but Sodapop adjusted his grip on his little brother so he couldn't.

"We haven't been very fair to you this week, have we, little guy?" Darry muttered gently. The man had has his elbows resting on his knees and was keeping his face propped up with his hand. "Reckon we have a lot to make up for. Don't you agree, Soda?"

"Definitely," Sodapop agreed. This time when both older brothers smiled at Ponyboy, he didn't smile back. Now they knew how it felt. But that wasn't the reason Ponyboy didn't smile back; he didn't smile back because of how sad he was. Darry and Sodapop certainly had a lot to make up for.

But things were getting better already. Ponyboy yawned; Sodapop's lap was just real comfortable, and his brothers' gentle tones were putting him to sleep. They were soothing him.

Darry chuckled and Sodapop smiled at his baby brother. "Looks like someone's sleepy," Darry grinned. Sodapop loosened his grip on Ponyboy, allowing his brother to snuggle into his chest.

"I'd say so," the teenager laughed softly, kissing his baby brother's hair. "But now I'm kinda tired."

"Me too," Darry nodded. He looked at the clock and realized it was only early, but he didn't care; spending time with his little brothers meant more to him than anything. "Let's go ta my room."

Sodapop gave Ponyboy another kiss and passed his baby brother to Darry. Darry smiled at the two of them and stood up, keeping his youngest brother in his arms. Ponyboy wrapped his arms around Darry's neck and closed his eyes as he was carried through their home by his oldest brother.

Once they reached the bedroom, Darry sat his youngest brother down on the bed, leaving the boy with Soda while he went to use the bathroom. Ponyboy simply kicked his shoes off and laid down. Sodapop lightly chuckled and rubbed his brother's shoulder.

When Darry came back, he signalled for Soda to get ready for bed, and while Sodapop got up and ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Darry sat down next to Ponyboy on the bed. "You can't sleep like that, little buddy," Darry chuckled, noticing how Ponyboy was still fully dressed. But Ponyboy didn't respond, so Darry just pulled his brother's jeans off and tucked him into the covers before taking his shirt off and lying down himself. Sodapop joined them a few minutes later.

Even though Ponyboy hadn't said anything to his brothers after they had comforted him, he showed his thanks to them by snuggling into the two of them; nuzzling his face in Darry's chest while keeping a good hold of Sodapop's arm that was across his stomach.

But he didn't have to thank them. All's he needed to do was be their baby brother. Because they'd be heartbroken if they lost him.

 **AN: Hope you all enjoyed that one-shot :) I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Any ideas for any other one-shots I could write? And a great thanks to all of you for being awesome! :)**


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